Al-‘As ibn Wa’il picked up a bone from the graveyard and said, “who will give life to this dead bone”?
Allah responds in The Qur’an – He who gave it life the first time will give it life again. Sura Yaseen.
We do not disappear when we die.
We do not disintegrate.
We do not vanish into thin air.
We just leave the body that was our abode for a temporary period.
We actually return to our Creator —
Sura Jumu’ah
As per the Qur’an, which is the word of Allah about which there is no doubt, we will face one of 3 situations at death:
– ones on the right side
– ones on the left side
– ones on the forefront
Sura Waqi’ah
Every day we see death yet we live as if we will live in this world forever.
Is there any guarantee you will wake up tomorrow after you go to sleep tonight?
We cannot live inside the body for long. The soul will be extracted — either violently or with ease, depending on how we obeyed the commands of Allah.
Time in the life of the grave is much longer than time in this dunya- so we need to prepare now!
Death knows no discrimination and can come anytime unannounced — death doesn’t care what stage of our life we are in – let’s take heed now and turn to Allah before it is too late.
Someone died the other day in his sleep — he was 31 years old === do you think death was in his todo list and he was ready?
The other day we prayed janazah on a girl — she was 18 when she passed away– do you think she was ready?
Who but satan is telling us that we have a looooong life to live?
How do we know? So many people have their burial cloth already manufactured, yet they are thinking of buying the next fancy car or the next big house or going to that dream vacation to that useless place.
Whose commands are we ignoring?
You are thinking Allah is most forgiving — but you are ignoring His commands right and left and not even touching His book?
People would say, “Inshallah, Allah is Most Merciful, Most Forgiving, Allah has definitely threatened us with punishment but there won’t be any for us because we are Muslims…..”
They will be sorry later and say, “If only we had listened or used our minds we would not be among the denizens of the Fire. If only we had understood what was being said to us we wouldn’t be here right now.”
Subhanallah! They had ears but they did not benefit from them. They had intellect but they did not benefit from it.
Have we prepared ourselves to be amongst the forefront or the right?
Three things will go with us to the grave — two will come back and one will stay — the deeds. Family and wealth will return.
After death three things will continue – sadaqa jariyah, ilmun nafi’un, waladan salihan yad’u lahu
Will you not be put in a white shroud when you die? Will you not look EXACTLY like the attached picture one day?
Where will you hide on that day?
Who will protect you from the angels of Hell if you disobey Allah?
Will you not be able to move your limbs one day?
Will your friends and well wishers, whom you obeyed without question, ignoring the commands of Allah, abandon you 60 seconds after they bury you under the ground?
Types of Punishment of the Grave
The torment in the grave will vary according to the sins committed by the person in this world, whether he was a kaafir or a disobedient Muslim. For example:
1) Being struck with an iron hammer:
It was narrated from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When a person is placed in his grave and his companions leave him, and he can no longer hear the sound of their sandals (footsteps), two angels come to him and make him sit up, and they ask him, ‘What did you say about this man Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?’ He says, ‘I bear witness that he is the slave of Allaah and His Messenger.’ It is said, ‘Look at your place in Hell which Allaah has replaced for you with a place in Paradise.’” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “And he sees them both. But as for the kaafir or hypocrite, he says, ‘I do not know, I used to say what the people said.’ It is said, ‘You did not know and you did not follow those who knew.’ Then he is struck a blow with an iron hammer between his ears and he screams a scream which everything around him can hear apart from the two races (of mankind and the jinn).”
2) Furnishings from Hell are prepared out for him; he is clothed with fire; a door to Hell is opened for him; his grave is made narrow for him; he is struck with a great hammer which, if a mountain were to be struck with it, it would turn to dust; and he is given the tidings of torment in the Hereafter. Hence he will wish that the hour will never come.
Being swallowed up by the earth.
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whilst a man was dragging his lower garment out of pride, the earth swallowed him up and he will continue sinking into the earth until the Day of Resurrection.”
4) The edge of the mouth being torn to the back of the head
5) The head being smashed with a rock
6) Being burned in an tannoor oven
7) Swimming in a river of blood whilst being pelted with stones.
Causes of the Punishment of the Grave
1) Shirk and Kufr
Shirk is the greatest of sins and it involves a slave offering any of the acts of worship to other than Allah the Exalted, such as Du’a, Salah, slaughtering, seeking help and seeking assistance.
While speaking about the punishment in the grave, the Prophet PBUH said,
“and then a blind, deaf and mute person will be assigned to him who will hold in his hand a hammer, if a mountain is hit with it, it would pulverize the mountain. He will beat him with it until he becomes dust, and then Allah will render him to his initial form, and he will beat him again, and he (the wicked) will cry of sorrow and pain a cry that will be heard by all creatures except humans and jinn. He will turn to dust and then his soul will be restored in him.”
The Prophet PBUH said, most of the torment of the grave is because of urine. (Not cleaning properly)
2) An Namimah
Carrying tales between people.
3) Misappropriation
4) Deliberately breaking the Fast of Ramadan without a Valid Excuse (like sickness)
The fast of Ramadan is obligatory from the break of dawn to sunset. It is not permissible for anyone upon whom fasting is obligatory to break it before sunset otherwise he incurs sin and punishment.
Safety from the Punishment of the Grave
1) As Salah
2) Az Zakat
3) As Saum
4) Good deeds
5) Charity and connecting ties
6) Acts of kindness
7) Acts of benevolence
8) Seeking refuge from the punishment of the Grave
Those who are saved from the Punishment of the Grave
1) The Martyr
2) Guarding the frontier in the cause of Allah
3) The one who dies of abdominal illness
4) Reciting Sura Mulk every night
May Allah protect us from the punishment of the grave and from the fire of Jahannam.
Belief in Allah, fearing Him, and obeying Him makes sense when He is unseen.
Even Pharaoh believed in Allah when he saw the punishment, but then it was too late.
Imagine where we are standing — on a conveyor belt leading to the graveyard.
And on the way you are picking up hasanat.. sayyiyat… one day you and I will WITHOUT DOUBT reach our destination
I ask Allah, the Exalted, by His generosity and his kindness to make all of us of those who obey Allah and His Messenger in everything. Surely, Allah, the Sublime, surely knows best. Many prayers and salutations be sent upon Muhammad PBUH, his family and his companions.
Allah knows best.
